{"id":230925,"date":"2025-04-30T18:30:08","date_gmt":"2025-04-30T22:30:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=230925"},"modified":"2025-04-30T18:06:44","modified_gmt":"2025-04-30T22:06:44","slug":"toughness-is-a-theme-in-this-giants-draft-class","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2025\/04\/30\/toughness-is-a-theme-in-this-giants-draft-class\/","title":{"rendered":"Toughness is a Common Theme in this Giants Draft Class"},"content":{"rendered":"

Draft season<\/span><\/a> has come and gone. Now, analysts across the NFL are handing out grades before players have set foot on the field. The truth is, a draft class <\/span>can\u2019t<\/span> be graded<\/span> until about two or three seasons later. They can <\/span>certainly<\/span> show promise in their rookie year and <\/span>show<\/span> growth in their second year. However, it is usually not until year three that a draft class begins to peak or valley. In the meantime, fans can study themes <\/span>to try<\/span> to identify what type of roster their favorite team is trying to construct. For the New York Giants<\/a>, toughness is a <\/span>major<\/span> theme across all <\/span>of<\/span> their draft picks<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Type of Team Schoen and Daboll Want to Create<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

When <\/span>Joe Schoen <\/span><\/a>and Brian Daboll were hired<\/span> in 2022, they wanted to find players who were<\/span> \u201c<\/span>smart, tough, and dependable.<\/span>\u201d <\/span>Initially, they found success. In 2022 they went 9-7-1 and won their first playoff game since Super Bowl 46. From there <\/span>it\u2019s<\/span> been two seasons of inconsistent coaching, a 2022 draft class that looks below average at best, and key injuries across that board. That breaks the<\/span> \u201c<\/span>smart, tough, and dependable<\/span>\u201d <\/span>mantra.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The 2024 Draft Class<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Enter the 2024 draft class. Led by star receiver Malik Nabers, this draft class <\/span>has the <\/span>potential <\/span><\/em>to<\/span> be a building block for the franchise. From Nabers down to Tyler Nubin and Dru Phillips, the 2024 draft class plays with a feisty chip on their shoulders. Again, <\/span>it\u2019s<\/span> too early to claim the entire class a success. However, they were a scrappy group that played hard in a lost 2024 season.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Abdul <\/span>Carter\u2019s<\/span> Motor<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Jaxson <\/span>Dart\u2019s<\/span> Toughness<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Alexander Taking an <\/span>Opponent\u2019s<\/span> Will<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Third-round pick Darius Alexander claimed in his opening presser that he enjoys<\/span> \u201c<\/span>taking my <\/span>opponent’s<\/span> will and just watching them go to the sideline and not know what to say to the coach.<\/span>\u201d <\/span>Despite being a third-round pick, Alexander <\/span>is expected<\/span> to play a significant role on the defensive line in 2025. Pairing his tenacious attitude with Dexter Lawrence will help the <\/span>Giants\u2019<\/span> defensive line wreck games.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Skattebo\u2019s<\/span> Unlikely Journey to the NFL<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Fourth-round pick running back Cam Skattebo plays like <\/span>he\u2019s<\/span> on fire. The former zero-star recruit forced his way to Jackson and Arizona State with a gritty, <\/span>tough<\/span> running style. He led the nation in yards after contact by a wide margin in 2024, a sign that his toughness is his <\/span>greatest<\/span> trait. <\/span>Not to mention,<\/span> his mother said that he used to run into light poles with his shoulder pads to learn how to absorb contact as a child. Skattebo’s toughness was the epitome of this Giants draft class.<\/span><\/p>\n

The 2025 New York Giants will be Scrappy<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Toughness<\/span> is a theme across the board in this Giants draft class. While the season is still months away, <\/span>it\u2019s<\/span> evident that the team values scrappy players who play with heart. <\/span>It\u2019s<\/span> a direct reflection of their coach, Brian Daboll, who coaches with the same traits. Their roster still may be imperfect, but fans should expect a team that fights on each down in 2025. Hopefully, it will lead to a few extra wins and the team trends in the right direction.<\/span><\/p>\n

Main Photo: [Thomas Salus] – USA Today Sports<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The 2025 New York Giants draft class will bring a level of toughness that the team has been missing in recent seasons.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5408,"featured_media":230958,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"1","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[54,20],"tags":[61,92,40,1173],"class_list":["post-230925","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-editorials","category-giants","tag-football","tag-new-york-giants","tag-nfl","tag-nfl-draft"],"modified_by":"Michael Zimmelman","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/230925","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5408"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=230925"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/230925\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":230959,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/230925\/revisions\/230959"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/230958"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=230925"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=230925"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=230925"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}

Lane Kiffin<\/span><\/a> claimed that quarterback Jaxson Dart<\/a> was <\/span>one of<\/span> the most competitive players <\/span>he\u2019s<\/span> ever coached. During his college career, Dart routinely paced the sideline between possessions to encourage teammates and heckle fans. On the field, the quarterback has a knack for staying in the pocket and taking a hit if he anticipates a receiver open downfield. When running, Dart has a tendency, for better or worse, to lower his shoulder and fight for small yards. He may not want to do that at the NFL level, but those are plays that win over the locker room as a quarterback. <\/span>It\u2019s<\/span> also the type of play <\/span>that Daboll<\/span> looks for in a quarterback.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Their <\/span>2025 <\/span><\/a>draft class feels much the same. Brian Daboll is trying to find players that reflect the gritty, pitbull-like attitude that he brings to the sideline. Yes, people will marvel over Abdul <\/span>Carter\u2019s<\/span> athleticism and ability to wreck games. But what makes Carter stand out is his motor. <\/span>Even when <\/span>he\u2019s<\/span> out of position or beat<\/span>, he never gives up on plays<\/span>.<\/span> Carter is willing to chase ball-carriers down the field, fight off double teams, and trap quarterbacks bootlegging to the opposite hashmark. His relentless motor is <\/span>what\u2019s<\/span> going to help him become great.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n